Japan vs China Preview, Prediction, Lineups and Team News | FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers

Japan vs China Preview

• Tournament: FIFA World Cup Qualifiers
• Date: Thursday, 5th September 
• Kick-off time: 10:35 AM GMT
• Venue: Saitama Stadium 2002, Japan

The Asian powerhouse, Japan, is set to host China PR on Thursday at the Saitama Stadium to start their FIFA World Cup Asian qualifiers third-round campaign.

The Blue Samurai displayed sheer dominance in the second round of qualification topping the Group B table and enjoying an undefeated campaign with 6 wins in 6 matches. They collected 18 points throughout the campaign, comfortable securing the next round berth.

Meanwhile, China entered into the Round of third qualifiers courtesy of the hard-fought, second-place finish in the Group C table, behind South Korea. The Dragons had 8 points in 6 matches with only two wins and as many defeats, and shared the spoils twice. 

Japan vs China Team News 

Japan National Football Team News 

The hosts will miss the services of Maya Yoshida and Arsenal star Takehiro Tomiyasu who is still recovering from his hamstring injury. Japan coach, Hajime Moriyasu has called his strongest potential squad for the key third-round fixtures in September. Premier League stars Kaoru Mitoma, Wataru Endo, Daichi Kamada, Yukinari Sugawara, and other notable names from top European leagues. 

China National Football Team News 

The recently appointed China head coach, Branko Ivankovic, has called up his full-strength squad, which includes their star strikers Wu Lei and Jiang Guangtai, A Lan, and Fei Nanduo. Their naturalized players can produce major challenges for the hosts. 

Predicted Lineups 

Japan National team predicted lineup:

Osako; Taniguchi, Ikatura, Machida, Doan, Endo, Tanaka, Nakamura, Kubo, Minamino, Ueda

China National team predicted lineup:

Wang.D; Yang, Zhu, Browning, Liu, Wu, Jiang, Wang.S, Xie, Fernandinho, Yuning

Japan vs China Head -to Head Record 

Japan and China’s rivalry is amongst the most well-reckon in the Asian football circuit, as both teams have serious quality in their squad led by reputed head coaches.

These two Asian sides have played on 22 occasions against each other across all competitions. Which, Japan has clinched victories in 10 matches, while the Chinese team have only 6 wins to their name. While six matches out of them have ended in a tie.

Recent five h2h meetings:

Japan 0- 0 China (East Asian Championship) – 2022
Japan 2-0 China (World Cup Qualifiers) – 2022
China 0-1 Japan (World Cup Qualifiers) – 2021
China 1-2 Japan (East Asian Championship) – 2019
Japan 2-1 China (East Asian Championship) – 2017

Also Read: Australia vs Bahrain Preview, Prediction, Lineups and Team News | World Cup Qualifiers

Japan vs China Prediction

The Blue Samurai are currently ranked 18th on the FIFA rankings boasting superior quality in their squad having player top leagues across the world. In addition, the home advantage would be another factor in their favour against the visitors. The Guests will also be eager to prove their credentials against the Asian giants.

Predicted Score: Japan 3-1 China

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